Author Note: This is my first fanfiction work for Miraculous Ladybug and my first fanfiction in about 3 or 4 years. Yes people, this kids show brought me out of my hiatus. I mostly write original stuff now which is why half of my older stories have been abandoned. Don't worry, I hope to not abandon this one.

I'm not exactly sure where I'm going with this either. But I have a lot of ideas. God these characters are taking over my life.

Okay, few warnings. I will never use strong language or mature sexual themes, but I might be writing some major/minor character injury further down the line. If this kind of thing bothers you I'll give you fair warning before the chapter begins. I won't be too terribly graphic or gorey though. That just isn't my style. Also, this does start out a little slow. Give it a chapter or two before we really get into the action okay? I promise I'll make it work your wait.

Will also be posted on my tumblr blog (lupanaoflaminar) and AO3 account as soon as I get off their waiting list.

Okay without further interruptions, enjoy chapter 1!

It was the middle of winter. Snow had been slowly falling in Paris for the past three days, resulting in a few inches of snow that covered the ground. The result made the city as beautiful as ever. The only downside was, well, the obvious dangers that came with the lovely snow and subsequent ice.

Ladybug had figured this out the hard way. Jumping from roof to roof on nightly patrols, when the temperature dropped by several degrees, proved to be an extremely dangerous endeavor. She'd almost fallen right off of the roof a half dozen times already. Her ladybug suit was not exactly ideal for traipsing across Icy surfaces. Neither was Chat Noir's, and he seemed to have a more slippery foot than she, even for being a cat.

"Woah!" Chat exclaimed as he stepped on a patch of ice and his body swung backwards. His arms flailed wildly as he tried to catch himself but it was no good. He was going down.

Just as he was about to take a very long, uncat-like fall off the roof towards the hard ground, Ladybug reached out and caught him in her outstretched arms. "Watch your step, kitty," she teased. "You wouldn't want to fall to your death, would you?"

Chat answered with his signature, cheeky smile. "Afraid I'm going to die, My Lady?"

Ladybug scoffed but gave her partner a small smile. One that said she wasn't falling for his comments today. "Don't flatter yourself. We both know cats land on their feet."

Even if she never showed it outwardly, every once in a while, he would say something that sent her heart racing in her chest. For reasons she still didn't understand. Marinette wasn't even sure she liked him as more than a friend. How could she? She loved Adrien, for one. For another, Chat was her partner and friend. They'd been over this before, how knowing one another's identities would be dangerous and disastrous. Not to mention, she would feel like a cheater because she knew how she felt about Adrien. No, it was better this way. No matter what.

"How very true," Chat replied to her comment as he righted himself. "Plus, I am no ordinary cat. I'm Chat Noir!"

To this, Ladybug groaned and gave a heavy eye roll. "Yes, you most definitely are, no question there."

Chat tried to keep a level head. He was sure that despite her constant eye rolls and gentle reminders that flirting had no place in their line of work, she secretly enjoyed them. Sometimes he got the feeling that she liked them better on some days, with certain jokes. Adrien would always get this really funny feeling in his stomach watching her try to hold back her laughter or a smile. He couldn't explain it, why she held herself back like that. Surely getting affectionate with each other or getting closer wouldn't compromise them that much in battle... Would it? Well, he was too much of a gentleman to push the issue.

The wind began to pick up, sending a cold shiver down both of their spines. The snow was still falling and while it was pretty, Ladybug was not fond of how cold it was. "Let's just hurry up and get through our patrols, shall we?" she tried to hint kindly.

"What's the matter? You don't like snow?"

She shook her head. "I like snow well enough, but what I can't stand is being cold," she told him with a shiver and a grin. By now she had her arms tucked in close to her chest and was just beginning to shiver. Her Kwami, Tikki, must surely be getting cold too. Marinette wondered if she could get away with using her lucky charm to give herself a coat, or blanket at the very least. But she had absolutely no control over what Lucky Charm would give her. Besides, if she used it, Ladybug would only be around for a few more minutes. That couldn't be allowed to happen.

"Maybe we should call it a night then," said Chat decisively. He wasn't exactly warm himself either, but his suit was built just a tad bit thicker than hers, so he didn't need to worry as much. But Adrien still felt the chill in the wind and knew that neither of them should be out. "After all," he went on out loud, "there's no sign of any Akumatized people running around. I think we can cut our patrol short tonight."

"Are you sure?" Ladybug asked with another shiver. Even though she was clearly needing a nice warm cup of cocoa, she was still worried about the people of Paris.

Chat couldn't help but smile as a heat spread throughout his body. How could this selfless girl not see that she was all he really needed to keep warm? "Yes, My Lady, I'm very sure." He took a few steps closer to her. "This weather isn't going to get any better, either."

Ladybug groaned as he said this, remembering all the talk at school about the possible chance of a blizzard. "Oh yeah. How could I forget? It's all anyone's been talking about." All of her classmates were excited about possibly getting out of school, but all Marinette could think about was how cold it was going to be if there was a blizzard. Which mean staying inside where it was warm and not having a lot to do. With school in session she could see Adrien at least, and Ayla.

Chat seemed to be enjoying her discomfort though and chuckled. "I never knew you had such strong feelings about the snow."

"There's a lot you don't know about me," was her quick reply before she realized how rude that sounded. "Sorry, Chat. That didn't come out right."

He still smiled at her though, and even waved her off with a hand. "Na, it's fine. It's the truth after all. There's a lot about me you don't know either." Silently though he added that she would know more about him if she hadn't insisted that they kept their identities a secret. So very much more. Some days Adrien just wanted to pour his heart out to her with his feelings so that maybe, just maybe he could drive away the ache in his heart. End the loneliness for good. Nino was a great friend, yes, but he craved something more than that. He thought perhaps Chloe might fill this need, since she was more than eager to be around him. But Adrien discovered a bit too late how mean and selfish she was. Fake in every sense of the word.

If only Marinette would feel the same about him as he did for her. The poor girl though could barely speak one sentence without stuttering or mixing up her words. Adrien felt sorry for her, but at the same time wondered if there was something wrong with him. After all, why else would she act that way?

"Chat? You okay?"

With a startled shake of his head, Adrien realized he had let his mind wander. "Oh, I'm grand, My Lady. Just thinking about things that's all." Again he pushed all these other thoughts aside and focused on the task at hand. "Shall we resume our patrol tomorrow evening?"

"I'd like to see if it snows like the weathermen keep saying it will," she decided. "If it does, then let's give ourselves another day off. But if the blizzard fizzles, let's meet up."

Chat Noir smirked. "Did you just make a rhyme on purpose?"

Ladybug realized he was right and face-palmed in deep regret. "We've been partners for too long!" Marinette grumbled few things under her breath that sounded like stupid cat, among others.

"You know you wouldn't want anyone else but me!" Chat teased as he started for home. "I'm so unique you could never replace me!" he yelled from a fair distance. He was so loud that Marinette thought he might disturb the whole street.

"Goodnight, Chat," she told him in a singsong voice that held just a hint of annoyance.

Chat's reaction? A laugh and a "Meow!" before disappearing over a rooftop.

As soon as he was out of sight, Marinette started for her own home. It was nice that Chat was so quick to agree on possibly postponing their patrols. She really didn't want to be out in this cold any longer than necessary. Besides, she had class in the morning and didn't want to miss.

Here we are. Was I in character? Let me know if I need to change anything.